FINRA exam concepts
Successfully preparing for a FINRA or NASAA exam involves meticulously preparing for seemingly endless questions on dozens of testable concepts. Within each concept, hundreds of test points can exist. Many test takers begin their studies with little-to-no understanding of the broad topics their exam covers. The uncertainty can manifest in frustration and test anxiety, neither of which are productive for studying.
Good news - Achievable has you covered! Our programs provide industry-best preparation tools for securities licensing exams, and we've also created a visual guide for the topics covered on each exam. You'll find a list of 30 common testable concepts and their relevant "testability." We've color-coded each concept to reflect a range between non-testable and heavily tested.
Topic weighting on various FINRA exams
Topic descriptions
FAQ
We recommend you buy the program for each exam you plan on taking. You could possibly avoid buying the Series 63 program if you've bought our Series 65 or 66 programs and cost cutting is a priority, but it's not optimal. The 63 tests state (blue sky) laws and regulations, which is a unit of the 65 and 66. There is no material covered on the 63 that isn't also covered on the 65 and 66.
However, each exam tests material in different weightings. For example, the 65 and 66 heavily test investment adviser businesses, while the 63 heavily tests broker-dealer businesses. We've crafted the final exams for each program to provide the closest possible representation of the exam. A person using the 65 or 66 programs to prepare for the 63 will not have access to practice exams that resemble the actual Series 63 exam.
If cost is a significant concern, the Series 65 program can be used to prepare for the Series 66 (or vice versa), but it's not optimal.
There's a great deal of common ground on these two exams - roughly 95-98% of the material overlaps. However, some concepts only appear on one of the exams. In particular, the Series 65 covers economic principles, business factors, and some options strategies that are not on the Series 66. Additionally, each exam presents a different number of questions - 130 on the Series 65 and 100 on the Series 66. Each exam tests the material in different weightings as well. For example, the Series 65 allocates 30% of its exam to laws and regulations, while the Series 66 allocates 45% to this unit. Therefore, practice exams on one program will not closely resemble the other exam.
Virtually all Series 6 test concepts overlap with the Series 7. The 6 tends to go further in depth on investment companies and insurance products, but the 7 covers many more test concepts than the 6.
